WO2004054735 described the use of an “intermediate member” in the formation of a shaped panel. Although primarily directed to the manufacture of a metallic panel, it is mentioned that the apparatus could be used to form composite materials, for example, where the component is formed from a multiplicity of fibre layers in a resin.
A problem with using the arrangement of WO2004054735 to form a laminate panel is that it is difficult to assemble the panel by laying a series of plies onto the intermediate member. This is because the intermediate member has a complex curved shape which makes it difficult to assemble the lay-up without the formation of wrinkles. One solution to this problem would be to assemble the lay-up manually, but this can be time consuming and expensive. WO2004054735 does mention that the intermediate member could be flat. However even if the intermediate was flat, it would bow as the plies are assembled due to its inherent flexibility.